Whistler2020 Accelerated is a series of columns I am writing for WHISTLERtoday: Your Inside Edge to the 2010 Winter Games. The series profiles sustainability initiatives and stories that are accelerating Whistler’s community journey toward sustainability. I modified this one slightly, to explain sustainability system condition 4 near the end of the article.
Most people don’t think of municipalities when they ponder serious climate action. But cities have the ability to regulate the use of approximately 53% of end-use greenhouse gas emissions. This means cities can lead the way in the fight against climate change.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is one of those communities. In 2008, the RMOW signed onto BC’s Climate Action Charter, committing to the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2012. The RMOW has committed to carbon neutrality by 2010, two years ahead of the 2012 target.
“We saw several reasons to accelerate our commitment to the charter. Foremost is the urgency of addressing the climate challenge and the opportunity to shine the Games spotlight on commitment,” said Mayor Ken Melamed. “The future costs of inaction far outweigh today’s investment in the discipline of emissions reduction and climate neutrality, and this plan sets out our early steps.”
Carbon neutrality means measuring the greenhouse gas emissions that come from government operations, like buildings and fleet vehicles, and then reducing those emissions to net zero.
Governments achieve carbon neutrality by reducing emissions where possible, by purchasing carbon offsets to compensate for its greenhouse gas emissions or by developing projects to offset emissions.
The carbon credits purchased by the RMOW are certified by the Pacific Carbon Trust (BC’s carbon offset crown corportation) or by the Gold Standard (an international carbon offsetting program). The RMOW chose this 50/50 split to meet our 4 sustainability conditions, but especially for number 4: that we will work to eliminate our contribution to conditions that undermine people’s capacity to meet their basic human needs. In other words, we have a responsibility, as greater carbon emitters, to invest in sustainable development elsewhere, not just in our own backyard, in order to have a sustainable society.
That is something I can be proud of. Together we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions both here and beyond.
